The immediate aftermath of a contamination event, such as a toxic gas release from a chemical plant, derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals or gases, or a nuclear or radiological spill, leak, or attack, poses an extraordinary challenge for emergency responders and authorities. Using conventional technology and approaches, highly consequential decisions must be made rapidly based on incomplete information gathered manually by a few personnel in the “hot zone.” A small number of hand-carried sensors and short measurement times combined with unknown wind-driven transport of contamination result in a crude picture of the scene, at best.
In the case of a train derailment, for example, this may have significant consequences as many citizens live within the ¼ mile evacuation zone of an active freight train line. The consequences of a contamination event include, but are not limited to, short and long-term health effects and/or loss of life, infrastructure damage, exposure to contamination, damage to the environment, decreased real estate value, and lost business revenue. The 74 car crude oil train derailment in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec on Jul. 6, 2013, caused a fire and explosion of several cars that killed 47, destroyed over 30 buildings, forced the evacuation of over 2,000 people, lead to liability to Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway Ltd. (MMA) railway of over $345 million, and lead to over $25 million in claims to local insurers. Indeed, a major freight accident may be a “bet the company” event with liability in the millions or billions of dollars, a high cost of remediation, and damaged public relations and stock values. Accordingly, an improved sensor system and approach may be beneficial.